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| Received On: 04/09/2021 |
My first return this month came from former MLB outfielder Grady Sizemore.
Sizemore was originally drafted by the Montreal Expos in the third round of the 2000 MLB Player Draft out of Cascade High School. He spent a few seasons in the Expos organization until he was traded along with Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens to the Cleveland Baseball Team in exchange for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew. With Cleveland he eventually made his MLB debut in 2004 and would go on to have a very successful run in the mid 2000's as one of the better players on the Clevelands. He'd go on to play in three All Star Games from 2006 to 2008, win two Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2008, and win a Silver Slugger in 2008. However as the decade started to turn to the 2010's Sizemore would find himself getting injured a bit often. Every season he would be sidelined with an injury for a period of time and his production was sapped as a result. Eventually he would go on to play for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays but injuries derailed those stints as well. One wonders how much different things would be if Sizemore had been able to stay healthy. At his peak/full health Sizemore was one of the game's best outfielders.
Also note, I've always liked these Attax cards (at least the ones Topps made for 2011) and seeing this design finally signed is pretty cool to me. This is also a foil parallel so it's extra shiny. Love it.
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| Received On: 4/22/2021 |
Next up is a return from former NHL defenseman, Darius Kasparaitis.
Kasparaitis originally hails from Elektrėnai, Lithuania and moved to Russia as a teenager to play hockey. After seeing some success early on as an amateur he was drafted in the first round of the 1992 NHL Player Draft by the New York Islanders and made his NHL debut in the 1992-93 season. He'd go on to enjoy a 14 year career. Playing for teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, and the New York Rangers. He'd also play for Russia's national hockey team and represent them in many international tournaments.
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| Received On: 04/28/2021 |
Here's an awesome return from New York Yankees legend, Andy Pettitte.
Pettitte was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1990 MLB Player Draft out of Deer Park High School. And the rest is kinda history. He became a top prospect not too long after turning pro and would end up climbing the Yankees' ranks very impressively (enough that he was in trade rumors constantly) before he made his MLB debut in 1995. He'd go on to enjoy a 18 year long career that saw him win five World Series titles, three All Star nods, and became one of the biggest names in Yankees lore.
And those were my returns this past month.
Big thanks to Mr. Sizemore, Kasparaitis and Pettitte for the awesome autographs.
And as always thank you (the readers) for stopping by. Take care.
2021 TTM Count: 16
Sources:
*https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sizemgr01.shtml
*https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/k/kaspada01.html
*https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pettian01.shtml